Calendar girls help Hooters fight breast cancer

Four women recognized for their beauty stopped by a Gastonia restaurant Saturday to greet fans and sign autographs.

Among those who made the trip to the Hooters at 3725 E. Franklin Blvd. were Chelsea Morgensen, a Hollywood, California, resident recently named Miss Hooters International.

Morgensen graces the cover of the bikini calendars she was signing. Part of the proceeds from those sales goes toward funding breast cancer research.

"My grandmother actually battled breast cancer so this is near and dear to my heart and to my family," said Morgensen, whose first trip to North Carolina also included stops at restaurants in Concord and Mooresville. "It's a big deal to me."

Morgensen was flanked by Gastonia resident Jessica Kiser, Cary's Katie James and Alyssa Whitney, of Greenville, South Carolina.

The foursome arrived just after 4 p.m. and had tables set up to facilitate photos and autograph opportunities at the sports bar made famous for its wait staff and hot wings.

"I feel like this is the busiest store we've been to so far," said Whitney, who will appear on the May 2018 portion of the calendar. "All the other stores have been great. All the customers have been great. We've signed a lot of calendars."

More than 200 Hooters employees from 10 countries are featured in the calendar. Hooters hopes to raise $1 million for cancer research this month, money that goes to the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund benefiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

You can reach Adam Lawson at 704-869-1842 or www.Twitter.com/GazetteLawson.